The Twins got a firsthand look at two new pitching prospects over the weekend and things did not go well, resulting in a series loss to the Chicago White Sox.
On Sunday, Taj Bradley, who came to the Twins in the deal that sent reliever Griffin Jax to the Tampa Bay Rays, got the ball and immediately found himself in trouble, allowing seven runs across the first two innings of the game.
He finally settled down to go five innings but the damage was more than done in the 8-0 loss. His final line: seven runs allowed on nine hits, including a home run, across five innings with a walk, a whiff and a wild pitch on 88 pitches.
On Saturday, Portland, Oregon, native and Jesuit High School graduate McLean Stine Abel, better known as Mick Abel, got the ball and also ran into a heap of trouble.
Abel, who came over in the deal that sent closer Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia, served up six runs on seven hits, including a grand slam, across three innings with two walks and two whiffs in the 7-3 loss.
Bradley and Abel received little support from the lineup over the past two games. The Twins were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 runners.
The Twins now head north to play a good Toronto Blue Jays team. Joe Ryan gets the ball for the Twins, but Max Scherzer is on the bump for the Jays.
Extra innings…
–The Twins are 59-71.
–It has been more than two years since the Twins last lost a series to the lowly White Sox. In early May 2023, the Twins dropped two of three games to the Pale Hose at a ballpark that was still known as Guaranteed Rate Field.
–The Blue Jays have good starting pitching, including Ex-Twin Jose Berrios, who got the nod on Saturday in a 7-6 win over the Miami Marlins in 12 innings.
Berrios did not come away with a decision, but he still made a quality start, allowing two runs on four hits across six-plus innings with no walks and eight whiffs. Berrios has logged 152-plus innings this season with a 3.95 ERA, which is pretty good for the American League East, the toughest division in baseball.
–Sunday’s tilt wasn’t the cleanest of games for rookie standout Luke Keaschall, who committed two errors in the game, throwing and fielding.
–The Twins went 18-8 in May, a month that included a 13-game winning streak. Since then, they have produced losing records in June, July and August. They are 8-14 this month.